“‘But those who will not subdue base lusts
belie the gods, that, by representing the gods as first doing the
things which they do, they may be set free from blame. For if
those who are called gods committed adulteries for the sake of
begetting children, and not through lasciviousness, why did they also
debauch males? But it is said they complimented their mistresses
by making them stars. Therefore before this were there no stars,
until such time as, by reason of wantonness, the heaven was adorned
with stars by adulterers? And how is it that the children of
those who have been made stars are punished in Hades,—Atlas
loaded, Tantalus tortured with thirst, Sisyphus pushing a stone, Tityus
thrust through the bowels, Ixion continually rolled round a
wheel? How is it that these divine lovers made stars of the women
whom they defiled, but gave no such grace to these?